Using Right effort and Right mindfulness to discern between what is wholesome and unwholesome

Both wholesome and unwholesome desires need to be recognized when they arise. The Buddha’s teachings offer us guidance for letting go of the unwholesome ones and nurturing or bringing into being the wholesome ones. It’s a relatively common misunderstanding in Buddhist practice that all desires are problematic or arise from defiled mind states. With this misunderstanding, we sometimes relate to wholesome desires as our enemy. But there are wholesome desires. However, we need to clearly be able to accurately discern between what is wholesome and unwholesome, and not mistakenly misidentify them. During our day of practice together, we will be exploring the theme mentioned above using the Buddha’s teachings on Right Effort and Right Mindfulness found within the Noble Eightfold Path.

Ajahn Ahimsako was born near San Francisco, California in 1959, and spent nearly thirty years living in various countries pursuing a career in classical ballet as a dancer, teacher, and educator. While living in England, he travelled to Sri Lanka, where his interest in Buddhism prompted him to begin visiting Amaravati Buddhist Monastery and the London Buddhist Vihara. He began his monastic life in 2002 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in California, and was accepted into the Bhikkhu Sangha there in 2004 with Luang Por Pasanno as preceptor.

Since 2009, Ajahn Ahimsako has spent eight years living at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery under the guidance of both Luang Por Sumedho and Ajahn Amaro. From 2017-2018, Ajahn Ahimsako spent one year living at Wat Ratanawan in Thailand. He joined the Chithurst community in the autumn of 2018, and was appointed as the abbot in November 2019.

Description supplied by the event organiser.